"Action and strategy on the DS. A great game."

To start, I must explain what my score means.

5 would be an average game, with no game-ruining bugs. 1 would be an example of the worst game ever in a genre, for example E.T. for the Atari. There are almost no 1s. 10 would be an example of the greatest possible game in a genre. Halo 1. Civilization 2. Starcraft. There are almost no 10s.

If a game gets higher than a 5, it's a good game. 8 here means that this is a must-buy for anyone with a DS who likes action strategy games.

Technical: 9
This section is very important, because it's about how the hardware stands up to the fast paced action of the game.

This is where most games like this fail, for example the recently released "Steel Horizon". The problem is that it's just HARD to pack a lot of action into the DS, because the hardware just isn't that fast. Somehow, custom robo arena managed to do just this, without any noticeable slowdown or lag.

Frequently in the game, there are 2 different explosions, 2 sets of gun bullet animations, and bombs flying through the air, all at the same time with 3d animations. Even in arcade fliers like gigawings (which isn't even 3d!), this much action strains the processors and ram, and causes annoying slowdown and lag. Not in Custom Robo Arena! The gameplay is literally NOT INTERRUPTED by lag, ever.

Gameplay: 8
There are only minor complaints here. For the vast majority of the game, the gameplay is flawless. Buttons are responsive, and there are transparent game mechanics.

Again, I have to compare this to Steel Horizon, which utterly fails in this department. In that game, you spend 45 of the 60 seconds of battle wishing that your buttons worked. When you use an ability, you're prevented from switching targets, using abilities, moving your ships, or selecting a new ship to use for 4-5 seconds. You literally sit there, doing nothing while the battle rages on around you, wondering what in the world is worth 25 dollars about the game.

Even in other relatively responsive DS games, like Lost Magic, there are some times that you WISH you had more control over the action. Not in Custom Robo Arena. In fact, the gameplay is so flawless that you never even notice it.

The minor gripe I have with gameplay is that it doesn't seem like the effects of an attack will interact predictably with the environment. It's hard for me to tell whether an attack is going to shoot over a wall or not, and frequently 1 or 2 bullets will go over a wall, while the other 1 or 2 bullets are stopped by the same wall, all in the same volley.

Story: 5
I weighed this topic less heavily than the others. The story is not the appeal of this game. The innovative gameplay is.

At first, the story seems extremely watered down and childish. As it develops, though, it becomes more fleshed out and attractive. While it never reaches anywhere near the awesome plot scope of the best RPG games, this is NOT an rpg. This is an action strategy game. Even so, it manages to be an overall asset to the game, instead of dragging it down.

Time Value: 7
This score is about how much time you'll spend having fun in this game, compared to its cost. Games like pokemon diamond probably deserve much higher, and games like prince of persia: battles deserve much lower (because the replay value is terrible, and the story is short).

One thing that extends the life of this game beyond the main story mode is the wifi ability. Playing other people on the internet is a great, challenging way to have fun long after you've beaten the main story mode, and I bet plenty of people who play through the story once will start over with a new game, too.

Final: 8
There are some other minor categories I didn't mention, like "sound", but I didn't exclude them because they're bad (they're not), I excluded them because I don't think they're important, and neither does almost anyone else.

This game is really, really fun for people who love arcade style action, like the marvel vs. capcom games, or gigawings. What are you waiting for? Go buy it!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/08/07